Powerful North Queensland prop Griffin Neame says he's ready to step up and fill Jason Taumalolo's void as the Cowboys experiment with restricting their star forward's minutes.
Coach Todd Payten revealed earlier this year that Taumalolo is dealing with a degenerative knee issue which is only going to get worse the longer his career goes on.
The Tonga international, who has four years to run on his contract, was given just 21 minutes in Saturday's 46-24 thumping of St George Illawarra.
Payten says he'll continue to play the long game with Taumalolo, who has built a career on his ability to bash out long minutes in the middle.
That has opened the door for Neame to emerge as a force for the Cowboys, the prop bending the line at will against the Dragons.
"It's a huge role to fill because Jason is one of our best players," Neame told AAP.
"It's a long season so to give someone like him a rest is probably best for him.
"We know that come the end of the season when Jason is really needed he can come out firing.
"Those are big shoes to fill but I'm confident in my ability and Toddy's backing me to and he's confident in me, so I've got to go out and repay that."
Neame registered 180 running metres and two tackle busts, the most of any forward against the Dragons.
His performance ensured North Queensland are the only side yet to taste defeat this season after seeing off the Red V, Newcastle and the Dolphins in the opening three weeks.
It is a return to the kind of form which led to the Cowboys reaching the 2022 preliminary final before missing the top eight altogether last season.
Neame is reluctant to read too much into their early season form, keen to stress that Friday's meeting with Brisbane will represent a major step-up in intensity.
"With the Broncos being in the grand final, we know they're a good team," Neame said.
"At the start of the season you've got to get the little things right because there can be a lot of dropped ball and mistakes.
"If we can avoid doing that then we know that there is plenty of footy in us.
"I love playing that game, there's a lot of hype and there's a lot of build-up."
